Together We Can Do Everything!
by Anno1701
Summary: This story follows the Marauders on their last year at Hogwarts and their lives afterwards. When more strange things start to happen and there are rumors about someone who calls himself 'The Dark Lord', Dumbledore comes into their lives again and asks them to join a special organization that is called 'Order of the Phoenix'. Will they be able to win this war?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there, so this is the first chapter of my new story about the Marauders! I don't know how long it will be or where it will lead in the end, but one thing I know for sure. And that's that I'm going to follow Sirius and his friends through some events of their last year at Hogwarts and afterwards I want to introduce them to the Order of the Phoenix and the First Wizarding War. I hope you don't mind that I don't follow the things mentioned in the book completely and I always like to hear your thoughts and ideas concerning this story. So please write reviews, that would be very great and it always motivates me to update more often. I hope you like this first chapter ;)**

 **I don't own the characters or places in this story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Sirius POV**

Everything was silent in the castle. The night was dark and the moon was hidden behind clouds, so that no natural light entered the large corridors. The previous days it had been raining heavily and it was cold in Hogwarts. In the course of the day, the mist that had been lying on the grounds had lifted, but it didn't look like the weather was going to change soon. It was a depressed spring.

For a long time that night, the silence in the castle was perfect and nothing dared to interrupt it except the footsteps of the caretaker and his cat. They seemed to be happy, walking through the passageways together. Argus Filch was holding a little lamp in his hand, however it wasn't able to shed light on the entire area around them. Nevertheless, the two of them noticed everything that happened around them, thanks to the sharp eyes of Mrs. Norris that were at night just as good as in the light of day.

Well, maybe you should correct that sentence and say that the cat noticed _almost_ everything. Because at that moment, none of them realized that there was another person in the passageway as well.

Slowly, Sirius Black took a few steps around the statue behind which he'd been hiding. He tried to be as quiet as possible and when neither the caretaker nor the cat showed any signs that they knew of his presence, he carefully took a few steps back and looked around the next corner which led to another corridor. Sirius didn't turn his eyes away from Filch and Mrs Norris when he raised his hand to make the sign they had agreed on.

The light which revealed the exact position of the man and his cat became smaller, until it vanished behind another corner. Sirius just wanted to turn around and look out for his friends, when a hand touched his shoulder softly.

"You should think of something more witty to scare me, Prongs." He murmured and heard someone laugh quietly right behind him.

"Sorry Padfoot, next time I'll do something way more spectacular when I want to show you my presence. Especially when we're on the move in the castle at night, which is forbidden as you might know. And we don't want anybody to find out that we're here." James' voice whispered and Sirius couldn't stop himself from grinning into the darkness.

He just opened his mouth for a reply, when someone cleared his throat. "Do you think that it is safe to risk some light?" Remus asked hesitantly and as an answer to his question, Sirius waved his wand so that the tip of it started to glow in a faint light.

"I think he's made it clear enough, Remus." Peter's voice whispered and it took Sirius a few seconds to see his face a few steps behind James and Remus in the darkness of the corridor. As usual on their trips at night, he was looking paler than usual and it seemed as if he was shivering. Sirius had never really understood why Peter came with them when he was so afraid of getting caught, but he and James had stopped asking when they didn't get a real answer. Maybe it was like Remus thought and Peter just liked to be part of a group with other people, especially when they were far more popular than he was himself.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to start moving." James suggested and ripped Sirius out of his thoughts. He nodded and when he turned to Remus to ask if he had found the right things for their plan, he raised his eyebrows slowly.

"Do you really think that this is a good idea?"

"Oh come on Moony, we've done things like that many times by now!" James said softly and in a convincing tone. It wasn't a surprise that Remus had doubts because of the impacts of their actions.

"But this time it is different. If something goes wrong, we could really hurt him."

"That won't happen." Sirius cut in and smiled slightly. "Or do you doubt my talent at finding things that appear to be scary first and are very harmless if you take a second look?"

It didn't take long until Remus gave in with a sigh. "I hope you've done your research perfectly." He murmured and next to him, James chuckled.

"Since when makes Padfoot really bad mistakes?"

Remus just wanted to reply something, when Peter tapped James' arm and they all turned to look at him. "We don't have that much time." He whispered and Sirius realized that they had given him the task to have an eye on the clock which they often forgot. Like right now.

"Maybe we should go." James said suddenly and Sirius nodded.

"Good idea."

Slowly, they made their way towards the dungeons where they would have potions the next morning.

* * *

"Good morning class." Professor Slughorn greeted them as he entered the room. As usual he was clad in green, the colors of Slytherin, his house. Sirius and James exchanged a look and he saw that his own expectance was reflected in his friend's eyes.

Their actions the previous night had taken longer than they had expected and because of that neither of them had slept very much, but right now they didn't care. It happened once in a while that they were sneaking around the castle at night and sleep wasn't something which could stop them from doing it.

"I hope you remember the things we have discussed last week and the task I gave you. It is very important for your exams that you know everything about these potions since it is very likely that you have to explain their effects. So who will start to tell me something about the process of making of the Fire Protection Potion?" He looked around and when some people raised their hands hesitantly, Slughorn pointed at a blond girl from Slytherin, whose name Sirius had forgotten. She started to read out her essay, but after a few moments it was clear that the potions master wasn't happy about the things he heard and the disappointed look on his face made James and Sirius grin. It was always refreshing to see Slughorn's reaction when he noticed that the people of his house weren't as good as he wanted them to be.

"Thank you, Clara. It was a long essay and you have mentioned some of the important steps, but there was also much missing… Well, who's next?" He clapped his hands and turned to the rest of the class, a look of excitement on his face. However, he didn't notice the other hands which showed that someone wanted to add anything to Clara's homework. "Why don't you enlighten us, Mr Black?" Slughorn asked suddenly and Sirius smiled widely at him.

"Of course, Professor." He answered in his most professional voice and cleared his throat before he started to read out a text he hadn't written yet. Luckily, a potion that protected you from fire wasn't very difficult to make and Sirius had taken a look at the pages in the book just before the lesson had started. It didn't surprise the others anymore that Slughorn was thrilled by his answer and James just grinned at him widely. Sirius just shrugged and turned his attention to the potions master again. He didn't understand why everyone was making such a big deal of writing essays and all those things.

There were more important things in life. Like those that happened after Slughorn had filled his cauldron with hot water. First, they just noticed the smell of rotten eggs and when some people in the room started to frown, green slime started to leave the cauldron in big waves. A few girls who were sitting close to the teacher's table cried out in shock and Slughorn seemed to be frozen since he didn't know what just happened. Suddenly, he took a step back and with wide eyes, he turned to his class. "Leave the room, quickly!" he cried and they tried to follow his order without shoving each other aside immediately. To Sirius, it seemed as if they had never left a classroom more quickly or in a more dramatic way and outside, he exchanged an amused look with James, Remus and Peter who were standing right next to him.

With a loud squeak the door was closed behind Slughorn and he looked at the students in front of him with a confused expression on his face. "I… We have to… I think we have to end today's lesson right now." He said finally and behind his back, many people grinned at Sirius and his friends widely. Of course they knew who was responsible for this little incident.

"I can't explain what just happened in there. Everything seemed to be alright when I prepared the lesson yesterday. And after me, nobody had been in there. This is very strange…" Slughorn murmured over and over again and with an innocent look on his face, James took a step towards him.

"Sir?" He asked silently and Slughorn looked at him questioningly.

"Yes, my boy?"

"Do we still have to prepare the Moonseed Potion for next week, or could you give us more time because of what happened right now?"

Now nearly the every one of their class turned their attention towards the two of them since the Potion James had asked Slughorn about was very complicated and nobody had felt the urge to take a look at it yet.

"Oh, the… Moonseed Potion you say?" When James nodded, Slughorn frowned and scratched his head. "Yes, I think it won't be too late if we talk about it in two weeks from now." He decided and James murmured a 'Thank you' before he turned towards his friends again and they left the dungeons quickly.

"That was great!" Sirius exclaimed as soon as they were in the main part of the castle again. "I had expected a reaction like that, but this was…" He made a gesture with his hand that showed the slime leaving the cauldron, much like an explosion.

"Impressive." Remus agreed and James laughed loudly.

"Yes, that's right Moony. Impressive." He chuckled again. "And very useful if you don't want to write an essay."

"And what did you do now, if I may ask?" A voice behind them asked and they all turned around to see Lily Evans standing in front of them, a smile on her face.

James grin widened when he saw his girlfriend and he kissed her on the cheek quickly. "We've let the dungeons explode." He said innocently and now Sirius was the one who had to laugh.

"Well, I think it's more fitting when you say that we've filled them with green slime."

Lily shook her head, even if she didn't seem to be surprised. "Guys…" she murmured and Sirius expected her to roll her eyes, but she didn't give him that satisfaction. Instead of it, she turned to James and raised her eyebrows. "Would you like to come to the library with me?"

James shot his friends a questioning and slightly apologetic look and Sirius just nodded with a grin and winked at his best friend. "Have fun. I'll see you later at the Quidditch training" He murmured and without looking back, he started to walk towards the Gryffindor common room, Remus and Peter right next to him.

* * *

"And what are you going to do later?" Sirius asked Remus and Peter when the Fat Lady had finished the story of her suffering and finally let them in.

"I think I'm going to write my essay on the Moonseed Potion." Remus explained and Sirius grinned at the hopeful look on Peter's face.

However, he didn't have the chance to ask Remus for his help anymore since they had noticed the new announcement which had been posted on the bulletin board. "The next trip to Hogsmeade!" Sirius exclaimed in an excited tone and Remus' face lit up a little bit.

"When?"

"Already next week!"

"Finally some good news!" Remus said loudly and his outburst made them all laugh. Sirius looked at the bulletin board again, but except the trip to Hogsmeade, there wasn't anything new. So the three of them sat down at the fireplace and Remus took a Daily Prophet which had been lying on the table. He glanced through it for a few minutes and when he closed the paper again, his expression was thoughtful.

"Anything that's interesting in there?" Sirius asked and Remus shook his head.

"Except for one missing person." That caught Sirius' attention and he sat up quickly.

"Someone's missing?" he asked and his friend nodded again.

"Anna Broadwell, 32 years old, lived in London. No one has seen her during the past weeks. She was working for the Ministry, Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Her special field was the forbidden usage of Dark Magic. They're searching for her now, but it seems hopeless. Too much time has passed since she's vanished."

"An employee of the Ministry of Magic who's missing now?" Sirius asked slowly and frowned. He sat there on the sofa, arms crossed and his legs on the armrest, looking at Remus and the paper thoughtfully. "Isn't that strange?"

Remus nodded. "A little too strange for my liking." He agreed and looked at the picture of the woman again.

"I would like to know if they find out more about it." To his surprise, Remus nodded again.

"Me too. I'll keep an eye on the papers."

"And I'll tell James about it later." Sirius agreed.

And so they just sat there, three friends in front of the fireplace, looking at the picture of a missing woman and not knowing what this little incident could mean for their future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there, here's the next chapter! I didn't plan it like this, but maybe you know that in the process of writing, sometimes there are those new ideas and you just can't stop yourself from writing them as well. I hope you like the chapter like this and I've thought about it for some time, so what would you think of a relationship in this fic? SIRIUSxOC would sound nice, wouldn't it? Maybe you could tell me what you think in a review, I would love it. Have fun at reading ;) I'll try to update soon  
**

 **I don't own the characters!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Sirius POV**

"And you're sure that there's nothing new about the case of Anna Broadwell?" James asked for the tenth time in the last thirty minutes and Sirius rolled his eyes at his best friend.

"Yes Prongs, I'm sure." He assured him, however James didn't seem to be satisfied. He was walking down the stairs with an unhappy look on his face and everyone who saw them just raised their eyebrows at Sirius. Then, he just shrugged with the usual grin on his face, as if he wanted to say _'Oh come on, it's James! He's always behaving a little weird, it shouldn't surprise you anymore!'_

They had left the common room and were on their way to meet Remus and Peter in front of the castle. It was Saturday, which meant that they were allowed to go to Hogsmeade today and of course they would never let such a chance pass. It was always good to leave the grounds for some time and Sirius liked being able to do something without being watched by other people – especially Filch, his annoying cat, the teachers and the Slytherins. Of course it was fun to do stupid things in the castle and Sirius wouldn't have it any other way, but sometimes a break was nice as well.

"But there has to be something! I mean, she can't just vanish, can she?" James tried again and Sirius looked at his friend from the corner of his eye. When he saw the demanding look on his face, he sighed quietly and turned his face towards him.

"If the Ministry would have found something, it would be in the papers." He murmured, however he didn't believe it himself. Since when did the Daily Prophet say anything that was true?

"You don't even believe that yourself, Pads." Sirius smiled slightly at the shorter version of his nickname only James was using. "So why don't we start being serious? Someone who works for the Ministry just vanished overnight and no one knows where she might have gone or what could have happened to her. It was big in the papers, but after that nothing is mentioned again. Apparently, nothing can be found out about it. How can this be put together?" He sighed theatrically.

"Okay, you know that I can't be serious right now anymore, don't you?" Sirius laughed loudly and when he shook his head, his hair covered his eyes. He brushed it aside impatiently and could see that James was smiling slightly as well.

"You should cut your hair." James replied instead of talking about the missing woman anymore. "It's always covering your eyes so that you can't see no more."

"It's not that bad." Sirius cut in quickly. "And besides, the girls like it. Just like me."

Now it was James who rolled his eyes at him. "You're hopeless."

"I know. Thank you for the compliment."

"Did he tell you again how much he likes it when you growl at night?" A loud voice at the foot of the stairs asked and now both James and Sirius looked up to see Remus and Peter grinning at them widely. Remus had crossed his arms, while their other friend shifted uneasily from one leg to the other one. Peter seemed always so nervous and Sirius didn't understand why. Once he'd asked James and Remus about it, however his friends could only shrug their shoulders since they didn't knew the reason as well.

"No, I've just confessed my secret love to him. Is this a problem to you, Remus?" James replied and crossed his arms as well. Now the two of them were standing right in front of each other and it seemed as if they would never stop staring, when suddenly Remus began to laugh.

"May I say that you're hopeless as well?" He asked innocently and then James began to grin as well. He shook his head and took a few steps back so that he was standing next to Sirius again.

"I think none of us can be saved anymore." Sirius cut in and made a face at his friends. "At least we represent the never ending chaos here at Hogwarts, don't we?"

Instead of saying anything else, they began to walk away from the castle. Luckily, it wasn't raining right now and it even seemed as if the weather was going to get a little better. That would be good for the Quidditch match in a few weeks. It would be one of their last ones and it had always been a torture to play in the rain or when the ground on the field was wet and muddy. Playing Quidditch on a beautiful day when the sun was shining was one of the things Sirius wanted to do in his last year at any rate.

And of course then their chance to win would be even bigger. In all the years James and Sirius had been playing Quidditch for Gryffindor, they had only lost a few games and that had always happened because of stupid accidents, so they had to keep their record, no matter what was going to come. Sirius, who was the captain and Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, thought that in the past years they had become a great team and he didn't doubt that they would win their last two games as well.

For some time, they walked towards the village in silence. That was strange, normally they had always something to talk or laugh about. But it seemed as if right now everyone was lost in his own thoughts. Sirius didn't doubt that James was still trying to figure out the case of Anna Broadwell and presumably Remus was thinking about his 'problem' as they called it again. What was going on in Peter's head was a mystery to Sirius and to be honest he didn't really want to know. Sometimes, he was behaving different and they had all noticed that he liked to follow others more than to be the leader himself. Since this wasn't a problem, there was no need of discussing it.

"Oh look who's there!" A voice behind them called as they had nearly reached Hogsmeade and they all turned around, just to see Lily and two other girls walking towards them. Sirius noticed that it were Isabelle and Luna, Lily's best friends. Isabelle was a tall girl with white skin and long, curly black hair. Her blue eyes always seemed to look a little cold and the fact that she was in Ravenclaw didn't make it any better. To be completely honest, Sirius and James didn't like her very much. She had the habit to look at them in a condescending way every time they made something stupid and since that happened very often, she never smiled at them. And they assumed that she was talking about them behind their backs in a negative way. Sadly, that couldn't be proved. As Lily's friend, she was very careful at saying bad things about her boyfriend.

Unlike Isabelle, Luna was always grinning at them and she liked their jokes. She was also at Gryffindor, which was the reason why they knew her better, but not very good as well. She wasn't as tall as Isabelle, who had nearly the same height as Sirius (and he was taller than most of the other boys in their age) and her hair was brown, just like her eyes. In other words, Sirius liked her. Luna was nearly as crazy as James and Sirius were, however she liked hiding it. She preferred to watch others doing the stupid things instead of being part of it. That had advantages as well, mostly that you didn't get in trouble all the time. And Luna saw many things just as Sirius did. They didn't like the same people and made jokes about them, they rolled their eyes at the same time when a teacher behaved weird again and there were many other things which Sirius simply couldn't describe.

"Where are you going? No, let me guess! Zonko's Joke Shop!" Luna said loudly and raised her eyebrows at them, however the grin didn't leave her face.

"Well… shall we be honest, James?" Sirius asked and looked at him thoughtfully.

"If you want to, Sirius. Tell them about our secret plans to subjugate the Slytherins." In the same moment as those words had left James' mouth, his eyes widened in shock.

Sirius reacted immediately and let an unbelieving look appear on his face. "Why did you have to say this?" He asked in a sharp tone and ran his hand through his hair, trying to look stressed. He turned towards the girls abruptly and sighed. "Okay, now that you know of this you have to possibilities. Either you forget it and act as if we didn't say anything, or you help us."

"Or we have to make you forget it." Remus added and Sirius had seldom been more proud of him in a situation like this. His tone had been perfect, nice and at the same time threatening.

Now Lily, Luna and Isabelle exchanged looks and Lily crossed her arms. "And if we don't want to do any of it?"

"You'll have a problem." James said simply and Sirius couldn't stop himself from smiling gloatingly. It didn't happen very often that someone played along that good.

"And that would be?" Luna asked in a demanding voice and raised her eyebrows.

"Us." Sirius replied immediately and his smile turned into a grin.

"You?" Luna's expression turned from skeptical to amused and Sirius raised an eyebrow when she shook her head, laughing quietly.

"Apparently you don't know how dangerous we are."

"Dangerous? James, are you hiding something from me?" Lily asked and James shook his head innocently.

"Why should I do that?"

"Well, your best friend seems to think that there's a side of you I don't know."

"Do you want to tell me that Sirius knows me better than you do?"

"Maybe." Lily answered simply and James and Sirius exchanged a look. And began to grin at each other.

"Okay, you have seen through our masks." James said suddenly and his tone was dramatically. "I think it's time, Padfoot. The moment has come."

"Which moment?" Now Lily was looking at them suspiciously.

"The moment to confess that we're in love with each other." Sirius answered instead of James and his sharp ears could hear Remus and Peter behind him turn away so that the girls couldn't see the looks on their faces.

"You are what?" There was a moment of silence in which James and Sirius tried to stay calm. However, Lily's face lit up suddenly. "Oh I've been so stupid, I should have known it!" She said and covered her eyes with her hands. "It has always been him and I'm just there to help you hiding it, right?"

James nodded, looking sad. "Yes, that's true."

"So what will I get as payment for this?"

"I'm sorry- Wait, WHAT?" James stared at his girlfriend with wide eyes and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Oh come on, you can't believe that I'll do it without getting something to my advantage. That would be utterly stupid."

Sirius couldn't stop himself from staring at Lily with wide eyes and behind her, Luna and Isabelle seemed to be shocked as well. For a few seconds, Luna's eyes met his and Sirius thought that there was a mischievous gleam in them. He would have liked to know if he looked the same or if the years had let those treacherous signs vanish.

"You really think that I would give you something for it?" James laughed and shook his head. "Girls." He murmured and had to get hold of Sirius' arm so that he was able to stand upright. His friend couldn't stop himself from laughing anymore and then Sirius couldn't hold it back any longer as well.

And so they stood there, all laughing at their own stupidity. "Boys." Sirius heard Isabelle murmur and when he turned towards them, he saw her rolling her eyes.

"And we're proud of it!" He said loudly, which earned him an angry look from Isabelle. And a large grin from Luna. He smiled at her slightly.

"You're an idiot." Lily said to James and without hesitation, she took a few steps towards him and they kissed each other.

When they finally parted and the four of them were alone again, James raised his eyebrows at Sirius with a large grin on his face. "So…?" He began slowly and when Sirius only looked at him questioningly, the grin even seemed to become wider. "You like Luna, don't you?"

"Yes and I think I know where this conversation is heading to. I don't appreciate it."

"Why not, Pads? It's so obvious that she likes you too!"

"Is it?" Sirius raised an eyebrow at James, but to his surprise it was Remus who answered that question.

"Even I saw it and I don't have any experiences concerning that topic." He said thoughtfully and when Sirius looked from him to James again, he knew that he thought the same. Shaking his head, he looked around for a few moments to find a reason to chance the topic. And suddenly, there it was. Right in front of his eyes.

"There's Snape." He said and Luna was forgotten immediately. At least for this moment.

"Do you want to have some more fun?" James grinned and Peter shook his head.

"And it's not even midday!"

However, James didn't seem to hear him. With a loud "Hey, Snivelly!" he began to walk towards Snape and his companions and Sirius followed him, a large grin on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Next chapter! It's shorter than the others, but I hope you don't mind that. I would have written some more when it wouldn't be this late however I don't like it when I'm tired. Then it's possible to make mistakes and that's not nice. I hope you like this one and please let me know what you think. I will also try to integrate your ideas to the story, that wouldn't be a problem. So a review would be very nice (:**

 **I don't own the characters!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Sirius POV**

Sirius followed James quickly. His best friend was walking towards Snape and his friends without hesitation and Sirius could tell that Remus and Peter weren't too happy about it. Normally, Remus didn't like them making fun of others and Peter was just… well, Peter, if you could say it like that. Sometimes, he was insecure and shared Remus' opinion, but on other days he was behaving completely different and made fun of the others himself.

Sirius would never understand him.

"What are you doing here?" James asked loudly and the two companions of Snape raised their eyebrows at him with an annoyed look on their faces. "Did you get lost on your way to the dungeons? Because if that's the case, you're completely wrong here."

"How do you even stand being outside the castle?" Sirius added and let a thoughtful expression appear on his face. Then he made a face, as if he'd said something very stupid. "Oh, I forgot. The sun isn't shining. Then you're able to leave your vault. Wasn't it like that, James?" He turned to his friend and frowned.

With a searching look on his face, James nodded. "I think so, Sirius." Suddenly, he turned to the others in front of them again. "However, that doesn't explain why Snivelly and his friends are here."

Snape stared at them with a blank expression on his face. His dark, greasy hair was covering most of his face, but the cold look in his dark eyes was far too obvious. "Why don't you just go away and enjoy yourself somewhere else, Potter?" He growled and his friends nodded approvingly.

A provocative grin on his face, James crossed his arms. "And if I want to do it here, while we all enjoy your company?"

"Then we have to go instead." Snape answered coldly.

"Oh come on, Snivelly! Where's all the fun in that?" Sirius asked loudly and raised an eyebrow at the Slytherins in front of them.

"You call that fun? Well, I don't think that we could expect anything more cultured from you."

"And what do you call fun? Lurking around in the dark, inventing new spells of Dark Magic and trying them on first years afterwards?" Sirius couldn't prevent his voice from sounding angry. The slight smile that appeared on Snape's lips now didn't make it any better.

"If you really think so, why don't you tell someone of your accusations, Black?" Snape made a thoughtful face. "Oh, now I remember. Because you can't prove it!" At those last words, the two other Slytherins began to laugh loudly and Sirius took a step forward. Next to him, James did the same and from the corner of his eyes he could see that his friend looked just as angry as he did.

"So you admit that it's true!" Remus added to help them and now he appeared on James' other side.

For half a second, Snape was looking insecure, but then the superior look on his face returned. "As I just said, you can't prove it!" He repeated and Sirius growled quietly.

"And if we could?" James countered and raised his eyebrows at Snape.

"You would never be able to do that." Snape spat and now James and Sirius exchanged a look.

"I would say that we can." He said slowly and grinned at Snape and his companions. "Or don't you agree with me, James?"

"Of course we can do that!" James said simply and smiled widely. Sirius knew that his friend was making up many plans to outsmart Snape and the other Slytherins right now and he couldn't wait to hear them later on.

"Why don't you just shut your mouth and go back to where you came from?" One of the other Slytherins growled and Sirius looked at him innocently.

"Back to the castle? That would be disadvantageous since we still have plans for today."

"You are so vile. Here, outside the castle and far away from the teachers you insult us and think you could do anything you want. But at Hogwarts? There you act like you were the good in person and don't dare to say a word against us when someone could hear it."

"That's not true." James shot back immediately. "We use every opportunity we get and in the castle they just don't appear that often."

Snape rolled his eyes and made a hissing noise. "Dream on, Potter." He growled and behind him, his companions nodded dumbly.

"Can't you judge our behavior yourselves?" Sirius muttered so that only James could hear him and his friend smiled slightly at those words.

"Never, that would be far too difficult for them."

Now Sirius had to grin as well, which seemed to make Snape even angrier. Before they knew what happened, he had his wand in his hand and it pointed at James. However, he didn't reckon with Remus. Even before James and Sirius had realized what was going on, Remus' wand had appeared in his hand as well. He didn't say a word, but suddenly Snape's wand was flying through the air and it landed on the ground just before their feet. Neither of them moved towards it.

In the meantime, Snape's companions had raised their wands as well, but now James and Sirius were quicker. They had lost them before they really pointed at the Gryffindors. With a grin on his face, Sirius pointed at Snape for a few more seconds before he let his wand vanish in his pocket again. However, James wasn't that generous towards them. With a fluid motion his wand set the ground in front of the three Slytherins on fire and they cried out in surprise.

He didn't let the fire last long, but when it vanished Snape and his companions were throwing every curse they knew at them – which didn't help very much since their wands were still lying on the ground in front of James' feet.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Snape cried angrily and James laughed.

"And how do you want to do that, Snivelly?" He asked with a wide grin and made a gesture towards Sirius and the others. They followed him quickly on the street towards Hogsmeade. Peter got the task to watch their backs and Sirius didn't let go of the wand in his pocket. In the end it hadn't been necessary. Snape and the others seemed to have gone back to Hogwarts instead of walking away from the castle any longer.

"That was fun." James said after a while and grinned at them. "Now I just have to find a way to prove that they are doing forbidden stuff in their free time."

"I don't think that it'll be too difficult." Sirius frowned and thought of it for a few seconds, before he nodded – more to himself than to his friends. "After all we have your invisibility cloak."

"And I might know the right spell to prevent them from hearing us." James added enthusiastically.

"Nonetheless, there might be one problem." Remus threw in with a thoughtful voice. "Our time at Hogwarts will end soon. So how do we know that they don't just stop doing things like that for the last months? Yes, they would miss some 'fun' as they call it, but it also could prevent them from getting into trouble."

They were all silent for some time and the grins on James' and Sirius' faces vanished slowly. "Well, let's hope that they don't think that far." James said finally and they couldn't do anything else than to agree to those words.

* * *

They were waiting for Peter, who had been at the Post office, when two people walking past them caught James' attention. "I don't think that they will find her alive." A tall man with grey hair and big, black glasses snorted loudly. "It's too late for that. Someone has killed her, that's what many people in my department say."

James grasped Sirius' arm when the other man began to speak. "And what does your department know about it? You're dealing with Magical Transportation. However… I might agree with you. It's been some time since she's vanished and normally, people would come back someday, right?" The man who was speaking now was much smaller than his companion and his face was hidden under a big hat.

Without thinking of it twice, James, Sirius and Remus (who hesitated first) followed the two men on their way through Hogsmeade. "Yes, that's what I think as well. Nevertheless, it shouldn't surprise me if Anna appeared at work in a few days again. She was always a little strange, if you know what I mean."

"There have been many stories about her and they don't let her appear as a very nice person, but I've never heard that she hasn't appeared at work or wasn't punctual." The smaller man countered.

"If all the stories I've heard about her are true, she really has to be an awful person."

"She is, I've also met her a few times."

"So you think she's dead?" The grey haired man asked and his tone was curious.

"The aurors say so." Was the short answer and Sirius raised his eyebrows at James. They said so? Why couldn't they prove it?

"And if they say that the moon is red and the sun is going to fall from the sky, it is true as well?"

Now the man with the hat growled angrily. "You know I didn't mean it like that." He said in a sharp tone and Sirius could see his companion holding up his hands in a defensive gesture.

"I just wanted to make sure that you don't believe everything they say. Aurors have been wrong many times as well."

"I know, but why should they be this time? They've found nothing expect those hints that Dark Magic has been used in her apartment. And if you're playing with the Dark Arts, nothing good can come from it. Mark my words, something bad is going to come! If it's going to happen now or in the future I can't say, but there's something coming."

"You really believe that?"

"I can feel it. It's nothing you can explain so easy, however…"

They didn't get to hear more of the conversation. The two men entered the Three Broomsticks and inside, Madam Rosmerta accompanied them to a room where no one could disturb them anymore. With a frustrated growl, James left the inn again and the two others followed him quickly.

"Why did I leave the cloak in the castle?" James asked and shook his head angrily. "I would have liked to know how their conversation will end."

"They didn't know very much." Sirius tried to calm his best friend down. "It wouldn't have helped us. They were just two employees of the Ministry talking about the latest stuff they had heard at work."

With a sigh, James gave in. "I think you're right, Padfoot." He murmured and raised his eyebrows at Remus, who was looking at them with a strange expression on his face.

"What is it, Moony?" Sirius asked and looked at him questioningly as well.

"We've forgotten Peter at the Post Office."


	4. Chapter 4

**Next chapter! I know it's really short, but I didn't have much time to write it. And in the next weeks (or months), I won't have much time to carry on my stories as well since I've got to learn again. I hope you understand that and please don't be angry at me!**

 **I hope you like this chapter either way and it would be great if you could write a review.**

 **I don't own the characters!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Sirius POV**

"It wouldn't have helped us very much." Sirius murmured thoughtfully and opened his eyes to look at James again.

They had returned from Hogsmeade a few hours ago and now the four friends were sitting in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. Peter was still looking a little insecure since they'd just vanished without him, but Sirius was sure that he'd be alright again soon. After all, that wasn't the first time something like that happened. And he had a feeling that it would happen again.

"Maybe they knew something they wouldn't say in public." James countered again and Remus, who was sitting in the armchair next to Sirius, rolled his eyes.

"You just left me alone…" Peter murmured angrily, but they all decided to ignore him and his moaning.

"Do you really think that they knew something?" Remus asked and Sirius could hear the annoyance in his voice too well.

"It is possible, isn't it?"

"To be completely honest, I doubt that as well, Prongs…" Sirius admitted and now James turned to look at him, an unhappy expression on his face.

"And how should we find out more about Anna Broadwell and her case now?"

Remus and Sirius shrugged. "They could find out something in the next days and publish it in the papers." Remus suggested and he couldn't do anything else than to nod silently. He would have liked to make a plan with James, however he didn't know what they could do about this. It was business of the Ministry and it's Aurors; if they weren't successful at solving the case, who would be able to do it?

"Well…" James began hesitantly "Maybe they really find out something." He didn't sound very convinced and his expression was still thoughtful.

"We have to wait." Sirius said and Remus nodded. He knew that his friend was hoping to change the subject of their conversation now.

"In the meantime, we could talk about our essay for Defense Against The Dark Arts…"

* * *

"I don't think that Lily will be too happy when I tell her that I'm thinking about working for the Ministry after school…" James said and Sirius raised his eyebrows at him. A few days had passed since they had overheard the conversation of the two men in Hogsmeade and now, the two of them were walking through the castle without knowing where they wanted to go.

"Why do you think that? It's not a bad thing to work there, is it?"

"But becoming an Auror takes so much time and once, she's said that such a dangerous job can't have a happy ending."

"She really said that?" Sirius asked unbelievingly. "Do we speak of different Lily's?"

"I mean my girlfriend, or do we know someone else with that name?"

"No, we don't. However I can't imagine her saying something like that."

"To be completely honest, it surprised me as well." James admitted slowly and shrugged. "We'll have to see what the future brings."

He nodded slowly, a strange feeling coming up in his chest. Somehow, he didn't believe that the future would be too nice. Sirius couldn't explain why, but the feeling got stronger the more he thought of it.

"Are you alright, Padfoot? You look like something's bothering you." James had this expression on his face now, which only appeared when he was worried. He didn't show it very often. Only when he thought that something was really bad and even then just in front of his closest friends.

"No, it's nothing." Sirius replied quickly and smiled slightly at his best friend. "I just thought of something, but it's not important."

First, James didn't seem to believe him. But after a few seconds, he shrugged again and they walked through the corridors in silence for some time.

"Look who's there. Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, sneaking through the castle while everyone else is learning for the exams." A familiar voice behind them said and they both turned around to see Professor McGonagall standing in front of them, a smile on her face.

"But Professor, we are learning." James countered in his most charming tone. "We just don't do it while we are sitting in the common room. Before you noticed that we are here, we were just talking about the most important spells for Transfiguration."

Sirius nodded with a wide smile. "And of course we also discussed whose lessons are the best. Of course the answer has been clear right from the beginning. There's no teacher at Hogwarts who is as good as you are, Professor."

James nodded earnestly, however Professor McGonagall didn't seem to be too convinced.

"Then I have another question." She said in a serious tone. "Why are you learning instead of inventing tactics for the Quidditch match next week?"

That question surprised both James and Sirius, so they just stared at her in silence for a few moments. Professor McGonagall laughed softly and shook her head. "You know that I want to win the cup this year again, right? So let me tell you something. If you don't win this game, you'll be in trouble. And of course I expect you to beat Slytherin as well. I won't see any other house winning this year. We have a title to defend."

Now they couldn't stop themselves from grinning anymore. "We'll start thinking about it as soon as possible." James promised and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"What he actually wanted to say is that we've already got a plan. We'll talk about it again so that it's perfect and there's no chance for us to lose this game." He corrected him and a satisfied look appeared on Professor McGonagall's face.

"That's what I wanted to hear." She smiled and looked at her watch quickly. "Oh, it's already that late? If you excuse me, I have to go. The headmaster is waiting for me." She turned around to go, but after a few steps she looked over her shoulder once more. "As I said, win this game or trouble will be waiting for you."

With those words, she walked away quickly. James and Sirius looked at each other silently for a few moments, before they both started to laugh.

* * *

"Hey James." Sirius said loudly and his friend looked up from the essay he was writing. They were in the Great Hall and James had skipped breakfast to write the essay for Potions they had to read out in their next lesson – which was taking place in less than an hour.

Sirius, who had already finished the essay some time ago, was reading the paper his owl had brought. And on the front page, something had caught his eye.

"What is it, Sirius?" James asked and looked up from the piece of paper in front of him. On his other side, Remus raised his eyebrows as well. Peter was too occupied with his bread to notice anything else.

Sirius cleared his throat, before he began to read out the beginning of the article: "A few days ago, the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic have found a corpse in a forest close to London. The place had caught their attention since many wizards and witches have reported an uneasy feeling there and signs of Dark Magic were found. After a detailed investigation, the dead woman was identified as Anna Broadwell, the employee of the Ministry who has been missing for a couple of weeks now. However, no one can say why or when Mrs. Broadwell died." He let the paper sink and looked at his friends again. James stared at him wide-eyed and even Remus looked surprised. Suddenly, James ripped the Prophet from Sirius' hands and read the rest of the article silently.

"They don't know how she died or who killed her?" He asked angrily and shook his head.

"The killing curse is mentioned, but nothing else." Sirius nodded and looked at his friend thoughtfully.

"This is bad." Remus murmured. "The Killing Curse? Who says that it won't happen again?"

"I thought you didn't believe in something bad going on." James cut in and Remus looked at his hands.

"It's not his fault." Sirius came to help Remus quickly. "We all didn't know what to think of it."

James was silent for a few moments and Sirius knew that he was searching for something to say. To his surprise, his friend just sighed.

"I would love to find out more about this."

"Me too, Prongs. But how should we do that?"

"I'm sure there's a way. We just have to find it."

"And when will we find it?" Remus asked.

"I don't know, Moony. I simply don't know."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there, here's another chapter! I know it took me some time to write it, but I've been busy the past months. Sometimes studying can be very exhausting, believe me. But now the motivation's back and so are the ideas. Don't be mad at me for letting it rest for so long, I hope I don't have to do that again. As always, I would be happy about reviews of all kinds. Please tell me what you think and when you've got ideas on your own, tell me. Maybe they are fitting into this whole thing. And as you now, I don't own the characters or places in this story. Except one character, I think you know who I mean :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Sirius POV**

"Why are you guys so interested in that case of the missing woman form the Ministry?"

Sirius looked up from his book slowly and raised his eyebrows. Luna was standing in front of him, a questioning look on her face.

"May I ask why you want to know this?" He asked politely and tried to look bored.

"Because" Another voice behind his back said, "we overheard you this morning in the Great Hall." Sirius didn't turn around in his armchair. He knew well enough that Lily was standing there, her arms crossed and a challenging expression on her face. Would it be mean if he just continued to read his book or if he started staring at the fireplace? Probably.

"And does this have to mean anything?" Sirius replied slowly, however he didn't turn around to face Lily.

"Everyone thinks that it's terrible." Luna began and sat down on the armchair next to Sirius'. "But not everyone is searching for information as desperately as you are. Bad things happen every day, why is this so important to you?"

"Since when are you so interested in our doings?"

Now a small smile appeared on Luna's lips. "It's been a while." She murmured and changed the subject again. "What has really happened to that woman?"

"We don't know."

"But you want to find it out." Lily added and sat down next to Luna.

With a sigh, Sirius nodded. He couldn't deny it, could he?

"How do you want to do that?" Luna asked immediately and the interest in her voice surprised Sirius.

"We'll figure something out." He replied and couldn't stop himself from smiling slightly any longer because it seemed as if she wanted to hear every single idea they already had.

"Will you tell us when you've got ideas how to do it?" Luna raised her eyebrows and Sirius hesitated. He understood that the two girls were interested in the story, but why on earth should they tell them what they were going to do about it? Wasn't this a story between James, Remus, Peter and him? An adventure of the Marauders?

"Don't you dare answer that question, Mr. Black!" A loud voice behind his back said and Sirius turned around to see James and Remus walking towards them. They had just entered the common room and it seemed as if Remus hadn't been successful at his trip to the library. He and James had wanted to find out more about those strange things by searching for other cases of missing people, but Sirius had told them straight away that there old books and articles wouldn't help them very much. At least this was happening in the present, not in the past.

"What makes you think that I had the intention to answer her question?" Sirius asked and raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

"Well, normally you answer questions of girls. Especially when you think they're pretty." As his last words, James winked at Luna and Sirius stared at him wide-eyed. With a short glance towards Luna, who was grinning widely, he turned to his friends again and rolled his eyes. Why did James have to be so childish sometimes? But Luna _was_ good-looking, you couldn't deny it…

"We absolutely won't tell you what we're going to do about it." James continued with a look to Luna and Lily, wo raised her eyebrows with an unhappy expression on her face. Of course she didn't like it when James and his friends had their secrets. Since she was his girlfriend, she preferred to know everything they were doing. Especially when it was about breaking the rules or something as interesting as this.

"Why is that?" Lily asked and crossed her arms. "Don't you think that we can help you?"

"Oh come on, Lily. Of course you could help us and you know it. But this is dangerous. Anna Broadwell was killed. _Killed_ , Lily, you understand? And don't you think that everyone who wants to find out more about it puts himself into danger as well?" It didn't happen very often that James got _that_ serious and Lily knew that as well. Sirius could see her anger vanishing slowly and she relaxed a little bit. However, at the same time her expression became uncertain and even worried.

"And it's nothing that you're taking such risks to find her murderer?" She asked quietly and when Sirius turned to Luna for a second, he saw that she was looking at them thoughtfully.

"You know that we're careful, Lily." Remus said and smiled at her reassuringly.

Lily sighed. "Can I be honest?" she asked and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "I'm not sure about that."

"Oh come on, Lily." Now Sirius couldn't stop himself from talking any longer. "When was the last time we really got into trouble?"

"Wrong question, I think." James whispered into Sirius' ear. "The thing is, that we will be careful about this." He continued in a louder voice. "We promise, Lily."

"Why should we believe that you won't break your promise?" Luna asked and now she was the one crossing her arms.

"And why would you care?" Sirius asked back immediately, which made her – to everyone's surprise - blush and turn away quickly.

"You don't have to worry about this, Lily." James was now whispering and Sirius knew that no one else should hear the rest of this conversation. He gave James a sign that he understood and his best friend smiled gratefully. He and Lily took a few steps away from the others and began talking softly.

When Sirius turned around to Luna again, he saw an empty space in front of the fireplace. She was gone. Too surprised to do anything else, he stared at the place for a few more moments. Suddenly, Remus sat down in the armchair next to his own.

"So how was your trip to the library?" Sirius asked, more to distract himself than of interest. "You didn't seem to be happy when you came back. I assume that you didn't find anything?"

Remus, who'd been looking at Sirius thoughtfully, shook his head. "No, not a single word. Of course people had been missing all the time and sometimes under similar circumstances, but it just doesn't fit, you know what I mean?"

He nodded slowly. "We shouldn't search for information in the past. Those things are happening now, Moony. Not ten, fifty or even a hundred years ago. We have to get the latest newspapers, a few years back, okay. But no longer. And we have to keep our eyes and ears open. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that more things are going to happen soon."

To his surprise, Remus nodded in agreement. "It is strange, isn't it? I have that feeling too, and I know that James feels the same way. That's also why he doesn't want Lily to know anything about our doings concerning that."

"It's better that way." Sirius murmured. "And maybe you have already noticed that we don't even have any ideas yet. So we couldn't even begin to make plans."

"I don't think that it'll be like that much longer…" Remus sighed and closed his eyes.

It didn't seem as if he wanted to say anything else about it, so Sirius just took his book again and continued to read.


	6. Chapter 6

**And the next chapter! What about a review? I really love feedback... It motivates me so much. So do you like what I'm writing?**

 **I don't own the characters and places in this story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Sirius POV**

"Oh no, I can't believe this! Brown has let the Quaffle fall to the ground! In my whole time as a commentator at Quidditch matches something like this has never happened before!

But oh, Potter has caught it and now they're making for the hoops of Hufflepuff! And will they be able to- Yes, ten points more to Gryffindor!

What a match, Ladies and Gentlemen, what a match! It seems as if nothing could stop this team and what a team it is, Ladies and Gentlemen!

And there! It seems as if Malkins has seen the Snitch, he's starting off towards the ground so fast. But what about the other Seeker? Why doesn't Black get after it as well?

And oh, I forgot, ten points more to Gryffindor, I think they're leading with 120 to 30. It doesn't look too good for the other team, that's for sure.

And when I was talking about him a moment before, there's Black! And it seems as if he didn't saw what Malkins did. Why is he being so calm when his opponent… He's seen it, Black has seen the Snitch!

And Potter got ten more points for Gryffindor! They are brilliant today, the best match of the season so far, I have to admit. And that was a poor try, Hufflepuff. You can never get across that Keeper again. He's far too-

Now Malkins seems to have realized his mistake! He's turning around, just to cross Black's way. Who knows who'll get to the Snitch first? I don't! But it doesn't look too bad for Gryffindor and…

Yes, he's caught the Snitch! Black caught the Snitch for Gryffindor! They've won!

Gryffindor won the game against Hufflepuff! This was not a surprise to me, at least. You were great guys!"

* * *

"Who on earth had the idea to let a Gryffindor comment on the Quidditch match today?" Sirius heard a little boy who was walking in front of them ask.

"I don't know, must've been a bit crazy. It was awful."

The other one nodded immediately. "Maybe next time someone of our house should do it." He suggested and now they were both grinning.

Sirius exchanged a look with James. It was the evening the day after the Quidditch match and they were on their way to the Great Hall for dinner. It was obvious that the two boys were from Slytherin. On the one hand their disgusting green scarfs revealed them and on the other one the tone in which they were talking. They just had to be Slytherins. There was no other way.

"I think Lean was amazing." Sirius said loudly and James grinned. Sometimes he's not really focusing on the game, but who cares?"

They both laughed.

Remus and Peter were already sitting on the Gryffindor table when they entered the Great Hall. They sat down between them, so that Remus was on Sirius' left and Peter on James' right side. "What's going on with you guys?" James asked and Remus shrugged. He was looking tired and Sirius could tell that he didn't sleep very well.

"Nothing, really." Peter said and began to play with a wool thread of his sleeve.

"We were just talking about the match yesterday." James recounted and now a smile appeared on Remus' and Peters lips.

"It was great! You seemed to be unbeatable." Peter squeaked eagerly and Sirius laughed.

"The comments were really good. A little mixed up sometimes, but you could laugh at them as well." Remus said and James grinned even wider.

"I couldn't believe it when that Brown of Hufflepuff let the Quaffle fall, so that I was able to get on with it that easily."

"But how did he even manage-" Remus couldn't finish his question anymore. Sirius held up his hand to let his friends fall silent. At the questioning looks of the others, he just pointed at two boys – maybe third years – who were just walking along the table and sat down right opposite to them.

"My dad can't believe it was well. It's really strange, there has never been something the Ministry couldn't handle." The first one, a pale boy with brown hair said and the worried expression on his face made Sirius curious.

"Then it has to be really bad, doesn't it?" The other one – sandy-haired with blue eyes – asked and began to play with his spoon.

Sirius began to pretend that he was reading the newspaper in front of him which was, to be honest, the one from the previous day. James bent over it as well and Sirius knew that he was listening closely as well. On his other side, Remus began to eat very slowly and Peter was still playing with his sleeve. Maybe he didn't even know that the two boys were talking about something interesting.

"They're worried because nobody's telling them anything. Everyone knows that something's going on, something big. But of course no one can find out more about it and those who know keep quiet."

"Of course they do, when they're forbidden to talk about it, why should they?"

"Are you on their side now?" The boy with the brown hair raised his eyebrows slowly.

"No, of course I'm not. I would like to know what's going on as well. I just try to understand why they don't want to talk about it."

"If you say so… Well, the most important thing is that the woman in the papers wasn't the only one missing." The two boys began to eat while they were talking. Pumpkin soup, Sirius saw from the corner of his eyes. As if that would matter…

"She wasn't?" The sandy-haired boy shrieked and the other one hissed angrily to make him fall silent again.

"No, she wasn't. And there aren't many people who know that. So don't say it that loud, it's supposed to be a secret!"

"I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. But next time, think about it please, before you start shouting things you don't understand."

"Okay, I understand…"

"Well, where was I? Oh yes, there are others missing as well. But it's not in the papers because the Ministry forbid the _Prophet_ to print it. They don't want the people to worry too much. This could get dangerous as well, my dad said."

"But why could that be dangerous? And what use do they have of keeping it secret?"

"I don't know. And neither does my dad. It's just a fact that nobody's allowed to talk about it. And about the other thing."

"Which other thing?"

"They whisper about…" Now the brown haired boy leaned in closer and Sirius knew that the other's had to try very hard to understand what he was saying "Dark Magic. The Forbidden Arts. They're using it."

"They?" The other one was whispering now as well and his eyes grew wide.

"The ones who are kidnapping and killing the people. They are using Unforgivable Curses and all those things…"

"And that's why they're keeping it secret?"

"Of course. After all, the Ministry's afraid of such things."

Slowly, Sirius exchanged a look with Remus and then with James. If this was true, it was going to change everything…


	7. Chapter 7

**Next chapter! It's short, I know, but I thought it was better to make it a little more interesting. I hope you like it and I'd be happy to know your opinion. And I think the next chapter will be longer again, slowly it's getting stranger and soon, the exciting part of this story will begin (;  
**

 **I don't own the characters or places in this story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **James POV**

"Dark Magic…" James muttered and shook his head slowly. "Do you think this is true, Pads?" He looked at Sirius, who was sitting next to him in an armchair. They were in the Gryffindor common room and it was late in the evening. Everyone else had already gone to bed.

Sirius nodded darkly. "Why should he lie about this? And it is obvious that the Ministry has some problems, the papers are reporting about it all the time. So, it would fit together, wouldn't it?"

James shrugged his shoulders. Sirius was right, but it still seemed a bit off the ground to him that there were many incidents with Dark Magic involved… No one would be mad enough to use it, or were there people that evil? Probably there were. "But do all those cases belong together?" He spoke his next thought loudly and shot Sirius a questioning look.

"I think so. Or do you believe it's possible that suddenly a dozen people are interested in the Dark Arts and torture and kill people?"

James shook his head. "No. I would love to know who's behind all this…" He muttered and Sirius nodded with a yawn.

* * *

The next morning, they were sitting on their table in the Great Hall. They hadn't told Remus and Peter about their conversation the previous evening yet since they hadn't found the time to talk in private. Nevertheless, Remus seemed to think about the conversation they had heard at dinner as well because he was looking even more thoughtful than usual.

"Where's Professor Dumbledore?" Sirius asked suddenly and James looked up from his breakfast.

"What do you mean?"

"He's not on the table of the teachers. And normally, he's there every morning."

James shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he doesn't feel good?" He saw that his suggestion didn't convince Sirius.

"Dumbledore and not feeling good?" Sirius asked suspiciously and raised an eyebrow.

Next to them, Remus cleared his throat. "I don't know if you have noticed it, but I haven't seen Dumbledore for a few days now." He said slowly and now James and Sirius looked at him curiously.

"Why didn't you say that before?" James asked immediately and looked at the teachers table again. Everyone was there except for the headmaster; even Professor Slughorn and normally he was the one who came too late.

"Why should it be important?" Remus shrugged. "Maybe he's got something else on his mind now, who knows?"

"I want to know it." James couldn't stop himself from sounding a little harsh. "Maybe it's got something to do with the things we heard yesterday evening." And why shouldn't it be like that? After all, they were talking about Dumbledore, who was always involved in everything important that was happening.

"Don't you think that it's unlikely, Prongs?" Sirius asked and James could hear the doubt in his voice. But why shouldn't it be like that? Somehow, James knew that he was right…

"Why? Come on, why? We're talking about Dumbledore and you all know him as well as I do. If it's really about-" He stopped for a moment to look around. When he was sure that no one else listened to their conversation, he continued a little quieter. "If it's about Dark Magic and that stuff, Dumbledore couldn't look away, could he?"

"Well, we all know that he hates it, that's right… And he also went to stop Grindelwald when he became too dangerous… But this is different, isn't it?" Remus said hesitantly and James knew that it was impossible to convince him without a proof.

"Why should this be different? Just because the Ministry doesn't let us know about it- "

"We don't even know if it's true what the boy said." Remus cut in and James rolled his eyes. It was obvious that Remus didn't believe his own words.

"Don't talk that way, Moony." Sirius said and James shot him a grateful look. "You know that it's true as good as we do."

With a sigh, Remus gave in. "But that doesn't mean that Dumbledore is involved in any of this."

"We'll have to find it out, then." James explained and now even Sirius raised his eyebrows at him.

"And how are we supposed to do that? If you might have forgotten it, we already want to find our something about the death of Anna Broadwell. Don't you think that it's getting too much, James?" he asked and James shook his head.

"If I'm right, it's all connected. So we still are after one thing and not more. Where's the problem?"

"The problem? Oh, it's nothing. Just that this time, we may have something in mind which is far too big for us- " Whatever else Sirius wanted to say was drowned by the sound of fluttering wings. A big grey owl landed right in front of him and when he saw the bewildered expression on his best friend's face, James realized that this had to be an owl of the Blacks.

"What the hell is this?" Remus asked and looked confused from the owl to Sirius. "Do you know to whom it belongs?"

Sirius just stared at the owl in silence. James thought that he kind of looked sick. Beginning to get worried, he placed his hand on Sirius' arm. "What is it, Sirius?" he asked quietly and slowly, Sirius turned to look at him.

"I know whose owl this is." He swallowed. "And I don't think if I like it."

"Why?" he asked, still not daring to speak louder.

"It belongs to my brother Regulus."


End file.
